Ratchet wrench



T. O. RUEB RATCHET WRENCH May 28, 1940.

Filed lay 28, 1938 Q Q Q 00, QW

Elf.

Patented May 28, 1940 jjiUNlrsD STATES "PArENroFFlcs reversible type in which the adjustable pawls are f mountedin the driving member and coact with Y a toothed portionv of the driven member.

' shownin the drawing, 5 is a driving member RATCHET WRENCH Theodore OQRueb, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Sherman-Klove Oo., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware ApplicationvMay 2s, 1938, serial Nc. 210,599

ratchet devices and is particularly directed to a The principal object ofthe invention is to provide a ratchet wrench having enclosed adjustable pawls or l'driving dogs with' simple andeici'ent means adapted to be actuated' exteriorlyv of the 'wrench head for reversing the pawls.V

Othery objects are to provide a novel mounting for driving pawls or ratchet devices such as ratchet wrenches,and,novel meansV for shifting the positions of the pawls into operative and inoperative positionsand holding the same in such adjusted positions; to provide a ratchet wrench having a pair of ldriving pawls, manuallyA operable means for swinging lthe pawls into andv out of operating-positions, a spring common `to both of said pawls for holding the same in operating position, and means coacting with Vthe manually operable means for holding the same in adjusted position; and to provide such other advantages and novel features in construction and operation as will appear more fully hereinafter. f

In the accompanying this invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View showing `the pawls adjusted to one position;

Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the pawls adjusted for another position; and` f Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. y

In the particular form of the invention as drawing illustrating comprising a head or body portion 6' and a handle 1 which may be formed integrally therewith as shown or it may be attached thereto in any well known manner. The head has an elongated and somewhat oval shaped opening 8 with an inwardly extending rib or flange 9.which provides shoulders on either side for receiving side plates I8 and II, these plates being held in position by pins or rivets I2 and I3. The plates enclose and support a driven member I4 which ycomprises a work-engaging head or the like and which is shown with a projection I5 yfor receiving a wrench socket or other part or vtool to be driven. The driven member has an enlarged circular central portion` provided with teeth I6 and has trunnions or bearings I1 and I8 that engage with holes I9 and 20 in the plates I0 and II as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

yor projections 21 and 28 whichextend into a `peripheral slot 29 in a reversing and holding 3 so that the pawl 22 will become the operating .memben The driving dogs 'or pawls 2I and 22 are mounted on the pins I2 and I3and their ratchet-wheel engaging ends are preferablyfeach provided with two teeth or engaginggportions 23 which are f adapted to engage with two of the teeth I6 for ,f5 turning the driven member. The vtoothed ends ofthe 'pawls are urged toward the toothed wheel by means of a'oommon spring 24 which is preferably U-shaped and has its ends bent to pro-` 1 vide projections 25y and 26 which engage with {10 holes in the outer faces of the lpawls and tend to swing the free ends of the `pawls toward each other or toward the driven member.

The` pawls have rearwardly extendingfteeth plate or lever 30. The ends *of the slot have sub-` stantially radial projections Aforming lugs or shoulders 3l and 32 for engagement with the pro`v jections 21 and 28 on the respective pawls Thev plate 30 is carried on apin or rivet 33 which has its bearing ina hole 34 in the top plate I0 and which is'provided with a thumb-piece or lever 35 for rotating the same, this lever being located in a convenient position on the head so that it may be readily actuated by the thumb or finger of the user. When theflever 35 is moved to one extreme positionasshown in Figure 2, one of the pawls, as for instance the pawl 22, is swung out of `engagement with the ratchet wheel while the other pawl 2l remains in engagement for turning the wheel in the corresponding direction when the handle is actuated. f When the thumb-piece 35 is moved to its opposite position the pawls will be reversed as shown in Figure The plate orlever 30 andparts connected therewith are held in these adjusted po sitions by means of any' suitable holding means, as for instance a ball or thelike 36r which is vmountedfin` a hole 31 in the flange 9 and which is pressed toward the plate by means of a spring 38, the opposite endr of which engages with the plate II. 'I'he plate 30,has two;l or more holes or recesses 39 and 40 which register Awith the ball 36 when the plate 30 is swung to its respective adjusting or reversing positions as described.

As the operation of the device is readily apparent from the above description, further explanation does not Yseem to be necessarybut it will be noted that the parts' maybe changed or modified forvdifferent ratchet mechanisms or tools and therefore the invention should not be limited tothe particular arrangement set forth u' ist herein except as specied in the following claims, in which I claim:

l. In a ratchet mechanism, the combination of a driving member comprising a handle having a head at one end with an elongated opening therethrough, a peripheral projection extending inwardly around the opening, cover plates engaging with said projection With their outer surlaces substantially ilush with the rim of the head a driven member comprising a toothed ratchet wheel rotatably mounted in said plates and having a driving portion extending therefrom, pins through said plates adjacent to the ratchet wheel for holding the plates in position, dogs mounted on said pins and adapted to engage with opposite portions of the ratchet Wheel for turning the same in opposite directions, rearwardly extending projections on said dogs, a U- shaped spring engaging with the dogs and tending to hold their operating ends in position to engage with the ratchet wheel, a pin through one of said plates, a lever secured to said pin and engaging with the projections on the dogs for adjusting the dogs, holes in one face of said lever, a spring-pressed detent engageable with said holes for holding said lever in adjusted position, and a thumb-piece on the outer end of the pin outside of the head for swinging the same to adjust the dogs for reversing the ratcheting movement, substantially as described.

2. A new article ofv manufacture comprising a ratchet mechanism having in combination a relatively at elongated head, a handle secured to said head, plates closing the sides of the head, a driven member including a ratchet wheel positioned between the plates and having trunnions engaging with the plates and a portion extending beyond the trunnions for engagement with a part to be turned, rivets extending through the plates and serving to hold the same in position, oppositely disposed pawls mounted on the rivets and engageable with the opposite sides of the ratchet wheel respectively, a U-shaped spring having inwardly extending projections at the ends thereof engaging with the outer faces of the pawls and tending to bias the pawls toward the ratchet Wheel, said pawls having rearwardly extending projections, a pin rotatably mounted in one of said plates, a reversing plate secured to said pin and positioned within the head and having a slot which is engaged by the projections on the pawls, said slot being sufficiently wide to permit the ratcheting movement of the pawls when in adjusted positions, and the sides of the slot serving to swing the pawls out of operative positions, a thumb lever secured to the pin and positioned on the outside of one of the first-named plates, said reversing plate having 

